Process and apparatus for the production of (cigarette) packs

Abstract

In the production of (cigarette) packs of the hinge-lid type, supplying a sufficient amount of material to the packaging machine presents a particular problem. In an advantageous solution, blanks (20) for producing the packs are severed from a continuous web of material (24) with punchings for delimiting the blanks (20) and further processed within the packaging machine. For the efficient production of (individual) blanks from the continuous web of material (24), the latter is fed to a blank station (26), in which preferably two respective blanks (20a, 20a) lying next to one another are severed by shearing from the following web of material (24) and from one another by means of severing rams (29). The two blanks (20a, 20b) so formed and individually separated are then fed to a folding turret (40), specifically appropriately with an intermediate conveyor in the form of a rotating blank turret (43) being interposed. The blank turret (43) is appropriately designed so that by means of rams (45, 46) movable in the radial direction or downwards the blanks are lifted off from the blank turret (43) and, at the same time being partially folded, can be introduced into turret pockets (41, 42) of the folding turret (40).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An apparatus for the production of hinge lid packs from thin cardboard blanks (20) which are folded and filled in a rotatable folding turret (40), wherein: each of the blanks (20) is of a generally rectangular configuration and has two long edges, and the blanks are interconnected with one another at their long edges to form a web (24);   the blanks (20) are interconnected solely by a line of residual connections (25);   said apparatus comprising, in a blank station (26), shearing means (28) for severing the blanks (20) from the web (24) by shearing the residual connections;   said shearing means (28) comprises a stationary horizontal counterplate (32) and a severing ram means (29) which is movable up and down;   said folding turret (40) has turret pockets (41, 42), which are open at a top side for receiving respective blanks (20), and is disposed below said blank station (26);   said apparatus comprises blank turret means (43) for receiving the severed blanks and moving them into respective ones of said turret pockets (41, 42); and   the blanks (20) severed from the web (24) are moved by the downward movement of said severing ram means (29) in a continuing downward movement to said blank turret means (43).   
     
     
       2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising: feeding means for continuously feeding the web (24) to said blank station (26) while the blanks (20) are being severed from a stationary portion of the web in said blank station (26); and   upstream of said blank station (26), a compensation store means (88) for temporarily storing the fed web (24) in a zig-zag configuration formed by the pivoting of adjacent pairs of blanks about the line of residual connections (25) to form included angles which vary during feeding of the web.   
     
     
       3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein: a collar (21) is connected to each blank (20) by webs (22) so that collars (21) of the interconnected blanks (20) are arranged at a border of the web (24); and   said apparatus comprises: upstream of said blank station (26), a folding track (72) and rollers (81, 82; 86, 87) for transporting the web (24) through said folding track (72); and folding means for folding the web in said folding track (72) and having a folding edge (75) for z-folding of said webs (22) of the collar (21).   
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, for the simultaneous severing of at least two blanks (20a, 20b) from the web (24), said ram means (29) comprises two ram shearing plates (30, 31) movable in relation to said first stationary horizontal counter plate (32) and a stationary shearing web (34) in such a way that two blanks (20a, 20b) are severed from the web (24) and from one another. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said ram shearing plates (30, 31) hold the blanks, and wherein said apparatus further comprises means for moving apart said ram shearing plates to move the simultaneously severed blanks apart by a distance corresponding to a further packaging operation. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said stationary shearing web (34) is arranged as a countermember between said ram plates (30, 31) in a plane between the two blanks (20a, 20b). 
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said blank turret means (43) has a plurality of plane bearing faces (52), arranged in a polygonal manner, for the bearing of a blank (20a, 20b), and wherein said apparatus further comprises suction bores (44) for holding the blanks on said bearing surfaces (52). 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in a region of said bearing faces (52), said blank turret means (43) has recesses (48, 49) which have a width smaller than that of the blanks (20a, 20b) so that the blanks rest with edge regions thereof against said bearing faces (52) formed between said recesses (48, 49). 
     
     
       9. Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a folding track (72) through which the web (24) runs, and stationary folding members for folding edge parts of the blanks (20); (20a, 20b) in a region of said folding track (72). 
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said edge parts of the blanks are an inner tab (83) and a collar (21), said collar being connected to a blank by connection webs (22), and wherein said apparatus further comprises a lateral folding edge member (75) acting on a free lateral edge of the collar (21) so that the collar (21) is shifted relative to a blank as a result of the movement of the material web (24), the connection webs (22) at this same time being folded in a Z-shaped manner. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a counter-edge means (79) located opposite side folding edge member (75), for folding said inner tab (83) in a region of said folding track (72).